Many currently available computer software applications generate high-quality graphical images for display on a high-quality printing device such as a linotype or other high-quality, high-resolution printing device. Such a printing device typically accepts, as input, jobs which conform to a particular protocol. One such protocol is a graphical image description language known as PostScript.RTM., which is available from Adobe Systems Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. A job is a collection of data which define a task to be performed by a computing device, e.g., a printing device. Processing jobs according to a particular protocol is sometimes called herein "supporting" or "implementing" the particular protocol.
Over time, new protocols for high-quality graphics are developed, and new computer software applications are written to produce jobs which conform to such new protocols. Such new computer software applications do not always support older protocols for high-quality graphics which may be required by older high-quality, high-resolution printing devices. Older high-quality printing devices can be upgraded to support newer protocols but typically at a cost of $10,000 or more.